Amazon's 3D Phone Apparently Uses Four Cameras to Track Your Face

Earlier this year, the WSJ reported that Amazon was working on a 3D phone that no one really wants. Now TechCrunch reveals what's behind the 3D tech and it's not actual 3D. It's four front-facing cameras at each corner of the device that can track eye and head movements to make the phone's screen look 3D.

The WSJ report from May had suggested that the Amazon 3D phone would use retina-tracking technology so now both reports suggest that the phone will have the maybe sometimes rarely cool effect of 3D by using a definitely absolutely excessive way to do it. On the bright side, it could just all be experimental!

Another feature said to be planned for the device, but not yet locked for release, is an image recognition feature that lets users take a shot of any real-world object and match it to an Amazon product for purchase. The possibility of this object recognition model offsetting some of the cost of the device through purchases by users is mentioned in the posting.

That might be the closest we ever get to having a replicator. Amazon is also working on a cheap, bare bones smartphone but since Amazon said it's not releasing a phone this year, so much can change from now until we figure out the point of 3D that we should temper our already tempered expectations. [TechCrunch]